The Kogi State Police Command has recorded another success in its campaign against kidnapping, rescuing a kidnap victim, neutralising a suspected kidnapper, and recovering an Italian-made pump-action gun following a gun battle in Ayegunle Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area.
In the early hours of Friday, the victim, Abubakar Kabiru of Nila Forest Camp, Ayegunle Gbede, was abducted from his residence by armed kidnappers who forced him into a nearby forest.
Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Ayetoro Gbede Division mobilised a joint security team to track the abductors. The team comprised police operatives, officers of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), personnel on Special Duty, and local vigilantes.
The joint team traced the kidnappers to Olle-Bunu Forest, where a fierce gun duel broke out. One suspect was neutralised in the exchange, prompting the rest of the gang to abandon the victim and flee into the forest. Kabiru sustained a gunshot injury during the operation and is currently receiving treatment.
Security operatives recovered the body of the slain suspect along with an Italian-made pump-action gun bearing breach number 5882. The corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital Mortuary in Ayetoro Gbede, while the firearm has been taken into police custody as an exhibit.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, commended the courage and professionalism displayed by the operatives and their local security partners, reaffirming the Command’s commitment to community policing as a tool for protecting lives and property across the state.
The Commissioner assured residents that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the suspects still at large and dismantle the criminal network behind the abduction. He further urged members of the public to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information.
